The Browns' fortunes are looking up

Jimmy Haslam has had better years.When he made his triumphant debut as the new face of the Browns last fall, none of us would have predicted in less than a year there would be stories discussing his 83-year-old father possibly taking ownership of the team.Alas, it's not all bad for good, old Jimmy.Forbes' annual NFL team evaluations were released on Wednesday, and the Browns' value rose to $1.005 billion, a gain of 2% from 2012 and $18 million above the amount for which Haslam purchased the team from Randy Lerner.The Cowboys topped Forbes' rankings for the seventh consecutive year, rising 10% to $2.3 billion.The Patriots ($1.8 billion), Redskins ($1.7 billion), Giants ($1.55 billion) and Texans ($1.45 billion) round out Forbes' top five.According to the magazine, the Browns rank in the bottom half of the league in total value, debt value percentage (20, which includes stadium debt), revenue ($264 million) and operating income ($17.1 million, which is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).The Browns' overall value ranks 22nd in the NFL, their debt-value percentage is the 11th-highest in the league, their revenue is the 13th-lowest and their operating income is the eighth-lowest.

However, if you look a little deeper at the historical numbers Forbes provides for each team, you'll see that the Browns' revenue of $264 million is $6 million above their figure from the previous year, and the number has risen every year since 2004 — which is as far back as Forbes' statistics go.The Browns' operating income of $17.1 million is down $11.6 million from the year before, but it's much better than the team's 2011 loss of $2.9 million.That's the beauty of the NFL.Even teams that somehow lose money — according to Forbes, the Lions were $3.5 million in the red last season (Detroit has lost money for four consecutive years) — gain value.The Lions' team value rose 5% to $900 million in 2013.In fact, according to the magazine, no NFL club had its value drop.The Chiefs' worth remained the same at $1.009 billion. The values of the Dolphins, Panthers and Chargers each rose 1%, and the Packers, Steelers and Browns each jumped 2%.Fifteen of the league's 32 teams had their values increase by at least 5%, and five teams improved by 10% or more, led by the Rams at 12%.

The average team value was $1.17 billion in 2013 — 5% above the 2012 norm, and well ahead of the average team in Major League Baseball ($744 million), NBA ($509 million) and NHL ($282 million).Next year we should all chip in and try to buy a team.

Ice, ice baby

On Dec. 13, the Lake Erie Monsters will play the sixth outdoor game in American Hockey League history — only it will be in Rochester, N.Y.The Monsters and Rochester Americans' 7:05 p.m. game on Dec. 13 will be held at Frontier Field — home of the Rochester Red Wings, a Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.The AHL didn't hold its first outdoor game until 2010, but by the end of the 2013-14 season, that number will stand at seven. (Grand Rapids and Toronto will follow Rochester's lead and play an outdoor game Dec. 30 at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.)The outdoor game will be a first for the Monsters, an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.According to the team, Monsters Hockey Club members will have a chance to buy tickets for the outdoor game before they go on sale to the general public on Sept. 21.Information will be announced in the coming weeks on the team's website, Facebook page and Twitter account.You can follow me on Twitter for sports information, analysis and details about my quest to purchase an NFL team.

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